‘It is our hope… to improve the amount and quality of oracy teaching in British schools, so that young people are better prepared for life in the 21st century.’ ((Mercer et al., 2017), 2017, p. 17) So writes Neil Mercer, emeritus professor at Cambridge University and a researcher at the forefront of oracy pedagogy. This […]
Amy’s geography teacher has asked the class to prepare a short presentation about rainforest ecosystems. To plan this, Amy reflects on how she learned best on the last topic – using the school textbooks – and decides to read the relevant chapter before drafting her presentation points. However, when reading it, she decides that the […]
One of the many challenges facing the evidence-informed teacher or school leader is knowing when to trust the experts (Willingham, 2012). Great importance is often ascribed to meta-analysis in the EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit (for example, see (Teaching and Learning Toolkit, 2018)), and by influential commentators such as John Hattie (Hattie, 2008), and as […]
The abiding challenge of our times in schools is to recruit, train and retain our teachers. Effective teachers are those that have developed resilience within the many daily challenges and for whom their working environment provides the necessary support to maintain commitment over the span of a career. This article explores the concept of resilience […]
This study examines trainee teachers’ and mentors’ perspectives and experiences to conclude how specific training can support teachers and, in turn, Looked After Children (LAC). This was a three-stage study: Firstly, there was a survey with trainee teachers to explore their perceptions and early practice, concerning the education of LAC. Secondly, common teacher education practices […]
Prout’s (2000) ‘new paradigm’ of childhood began a quiet revolution in how young people were understood sociologically. They began to move from being constructed as unable to enact agency (Smith, 2007) and dependent on adults to facilitate their participation in society, towards being viewed as competent social agents, capable of fully engaging in society (Prout […]
This study is based on work undertaken as part of the Masters in Education degree by Isaac Howarth at Edge Hill University in 2015. Why teach reasoning? Over the course of three months, I worked with a group of 19 children in Year 5 with low prior attainment to see what effects there would be […]
‘But I don’t know how to revise.’ Sound familiar? Of course, it does. It’s a common phrase we hear from our students when it comes to exam preparation. It can also serve as a reminder that it is vital we consider not just the content of what we teach, but also how students learn the […]
Three years ago, in the spring term of my PGCE training, I was asked to complete a research study into an aspect of inclusion. I wanted to investigate an important issue in primary education, so it would have a wider relevance and application than my own practice. I recalled something that my mother had said […]
If you gave me a £1bn for education, I’d put it into CAMHS. Sam Freedman on student mental health, policy under Gove and educational equality.
Ben Goldacre, of ‘Bad Science’ fame (2013), was tasked by the government to examine the role of evidence in educational practice. Citing the success in using blind-tested research in medical practice, a good case is built for engaging in evidence-based teaching. The scientific method promises rigorous analysis of any potential method; by employing test groups […]
Total Communication has been developing since the late 1960s when Roy Holcomb designed a holistic approach to enabling effective communication (Stewart, 1992). Teachers interpret the approach in numerous ways, and many deviations exist, but the key philosophy is that it provides a range of strategies for communication and values the interaction between individuals over all else. […]
This article is about the pursuit of excellence, creativity and innovation in further education (FE). An Open Futures approach to learning and teaching, particularly involving askit, has been transformative to the community of learners at Central Bedfordshire College (CBC). The impact of philosophical enquiry (askit) is evident in the College’s 98% positive progression to employment […]
The Chartered College of Teaching does not need a patron saint but if it did, Lawrence Stenhouse would be my choice. He is one of its founding fathers and guiding spirits, though he died over 30 years ago. He is mentioned once in the first issue of Impact as a ‘late great’ and his work […]
Ross Morrison McGill talks CPD, wellbeing and taking back control. It’s important teachers get connected and start collaborating. We talk all things education with Ross Morrison McGill, aka Teacher Toolkit.
In 2014, I followed an interdisciplinary arts project called ‘Songlines’, delivered over two terms by The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. It aimed to: create an inclusive opportunity for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) stimulate social cohesion and personal development between two groups of young people made up of fifteen participants […]
My doctorate, completed in 2017 at Middlesex University, was all about balancing teaching and parenthood. I examined what it is to be a teacher and parent from both ends of the telescope. From one end, I explored ‘role enrichment’, whereby: …teachers regularly identify and celebrate the compatibility and mutual benefits of combining the two roles […]
Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) has recently become ‘The Next Big Thing’ in teaching. Dylan Wiliam tweeted on 26 January 2017 that he had ‘come to the conclusion Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory is the single most important thing for teachers to know.’ This is an emphatic statement and it is important to consider the implications. As teachers, there are huge demands on our time, so when considering a new strategy it is […]
The aim of our CPD packs is to support members in further exploring the themes raised in an issue of our journal, Impact. CPD packs provide guidance and resources to help facilitate staff CPD based on key articles from each issue. This pack is related to the following articles: ‘Challenging the myths of mindset: theory […]
Interleaving refers to the benefits of sequencing learning tasks so that similar items – two examples of the same concept, say – are interspersed with different types of items rather than being consecutive. This results in a more variable and challenging task but is associated with benefits in terms of memory and transfer, which apply to concept learning as well as other domains […]
